


It's Not About How You Say It, But About What You Say

by baloobird



Category: Marvel Cinematic Universe, Spider-Man: Homecoming (2017)
Genre: Anxiety, Father-Son Relationship, Fluff, Gen, Platonic Cuddling, Precious Peter Parker, Tony Stark Acting as Peter Parker's Parental Figure, Tony Stark Has A Heart
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-04-14
Updated: 2019-04-14
Packaged: 2020-01-12 23:16:41
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 772
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/18456632
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/baloobird/pseuds/baloobird
Summary: Peter is stressing out over his school presentation and Tony is there to give his kid some peace of mind.





	It's Not About How You Say It, But About What You Say

**Author's Note:**

  * For [Buckets_Of_Stars](https://archiveofourown.org/users/Buckets_Of_Stars/gifts).



> Of course, I'm dedicating this to Leah! She was really nervous about her presentation and wanted a ficlet with our fave duo, and who was I to refuse that?! :D
> 
> I originally posted this on my Tumblr a few weeks ago, and I just decided to also post it on here as well. Enjoy!!!

“Y'know, Mr. Stark? I’m totally okay with dying; just put me outta my misery.”

“For God’s sakes, kiddie, it’s just a school presentation.”

The mentor-protege duo are in the lab, with Peter pacing and fretting over a presentation that he has to give tomorrow morning. Tony can damn near feel the anxiety sweating off the poor kid.

Peter shakily runs his fingers through his hair, “Easy for you to say! You told thousands of people that you’re Iron Man without even breaking a sweat.”

“You did just fine when you presented to me a few minutes ago.”

“Yeah, but that was just practice, and…it’s _you_. I’m comfortable presenting to you, I just…don’t like presenting to everyone else.”

Tony puts his hand over his heart in mock flattery, “Aw shucks, kid, you’re making me blush.”

Peter playfully nudges the hero as he paces by him, “ _Shut up_.”

Tony just laughs along, “ _You_ need to loosen up a little.”

“How can I do that when I know that I’ll make a fool of myself?”

Tony puts his hand on his kid’s shoulder to stop the pacing, “You’re not gonna make a fool of yourself, bud, you’ll be just fine. So what if you stutter a little bit, the point is, you know mitosis like the back of your hand. You’re gonna ace this, I promise.”

Peter groans as he smushes his face into his father figure’s chest. His voice is muffled through Tony’s shirt, “But the teacher said that she’s also judging the presentation itself. She’s gonna take points off if I stutter and I _always_ stutter when I’m nervous.”

Tony frowns. He comfortably wraps his arms around his kid’s back, “Really? She actually cares about that?” He feels the kid nod “yes” against his shirt, “Well, she sounds like a pain in the ass.”

Peter snorts, “Yeah, she’s not my favorite.”

Tony’s voice softens in empathy, “You’re gonna kill this presentation tomorrow, okay, I know it. You’re the smartest kid I know.”

The teen’s cheeks flush at the compliment. He then starts to tremble at the thought of presenting, “What if I’m terrible? What if I suck and I fail, I’ve never failed before, Mr. Stark. And those stupid kids in the back will laugh at me, and then I’ll get a big, fat ‘F’ on my record, and then I won’t get into MIT, and then I’ll -”

Tony cuts him off, “Whoa, whoa, whoa, stop overthinking everything, bud.” He nudges the spider-boy so that they can look at each other directly.

When they lock eyes, Tony fluffs Peter’s hair to calm him, “Think about this, the only person who’s gonna care about the presentation is the teacher. You shouldn’t care about anyone else’s opinion but hers. The second that the class is over, everyone’s gonna forget about it and move on with their lives. Capisce?”

Peter sighs and leans his head back onto his mentor’s chest, but his gaze doesn’t falter from him, “Capisce….”

Tony pats his kid on the back in encouragement, “That’s the spirit. Now, what is all this about kids laughing at you?”

The spiderling rolls his eyes and looks away, “They’re just jerks. Sometimes we read aloud in class and…I get nervous…so I stutter, and they always laugh at me.” The boy can feel his cheeks redden in embarrassment.

Tony moves Peter’s head so that they can lock eyes again, “Don’t listen to those idiots, they’re not worth your time, okay? There’s nothing wrong with stuttering.”

“I guess.”

“I _know_. Forget about them, forget about everyone else in the class, forget about the teacher, even. Just focus on the material, and I promise you that you’re gonna kill it.” Tony then softly smiles and it can’t help but warm Peter’s heart.

“Maybe I can just imagine that you’re there? Maybe even shooting spitballs at those kids?”

“Hey, if it gets you through the presentation, go for it. You can even imagine me in my underwear.”

Peter lifts his head up in disgust, “Ewww, Mr. Staaaaark….”

Tony starts laughing, “Or I can actually show up to the class and _actually_ shoot spitballs at those assholes, that sounds like fun.”

“Okay, not gonna lie, that’d be hilarious.”

They both get into a giggle fit at that.

“You better tell me everything when I pick you up from school tomorrow, okay? I need _all_ the details. And I think a pizza will be a dire need as an after-school snack. What d’ya say?”

Peter’s eyes light right up, “ _Amazing_ …thank you, Mr. Stark.”

Tony knew that the kid wasn’t just talking about the pizza, “Anytime, kid…anytime.”

**Author's Note:**

> Thank you for reading!!!!


End file.
